Joel MaddenAccused of Battering a Woman

3/6/2007 5:05 PM PST

Joel Madden Accused of Battering a Woman

TMZ has learned that the Beverly Hills Police Department is investigating rocker Joel Madden, after a female photographer filed a "crime report" claiming he attacked her during a violent confrontation Sunday night.

According to police sources, the woman claimed Madden struck her on the left breast "with the heel of his hand" as the rocker tried to escort his girlfriend, Nicole Richie, out of the back door of Mr. Chow restaurant in Beverly Hills. The photographer told TMZ that she has a welt to prove it, and had to see a doctor for treatment.

Madden can be seen throwing a forceful, open-handed stiff-arm into the chest of another paparazzo, moments after the alleged incident.

Police reps also tell TMZ that they take every claim seriously, and a crime report was taken on this incident.